Cassiopeia

The Snow Stops- Aaron

The days dragged on, that's a problem with everything being slow. I was getting bored more often, the smallest things were stressing me out, and everything felt wrong. But then again I kind of liked it slow, I could understand what was happening.

Christmas passed, it was boring as always. Dad made a huge deal out of the dinner and my grandparents came. I was given way to many gifts and my room was filled with useless things. At least there was one good thing.

I opened my front door and there was Benji. He was more dressed up than he should've been, giving it was the Friday after Christmas. He looked like he was walking to his death.

"Happy late Christmas, if you celebrate it." He handed me a rather big silver box, with a glittery ribbon. "I got you a gift, even though gifts are dumb and just a way to scam people out of their money."
"Merry Christmas to you too." I laughed.

"Don't open it until I'm gone, or I'll be embarrassed." He smiled.

"I don't have anything for you, sorry." I told him.

"It's cool, I hafta go but I'll text you later." He said with a wave. That was that, the one interesting thing that happened during winter vacation.

I sat down on the couch and opened the box. There was a painting inside, in a simple wooden frame. At the top in cursive it said Cassiopeia, and then there was the constellation painted under it. I held up the painting, and I wondered if Benji painted it.

"What's that?" Naiomi asked. I put the painting back in the box quickly and threw on the lid.

"A gift." I told her, as she handed me some coffee.

"From who? I didn't know you had friends." She laughed.

"I swear to god Naiomi, I'll rip off your head!" I snapped.

"Ooo, you are getting an attitude." She took a sip of her tea.

The days were getting longer, and the nights were getting shorter. Everything was happening so quickly again, like a rush. My brain refused to keep up, it was all the ADHD but I couldn't focus. I tried to concentrate on one thing at a time, but it was always changing, it was so fast. I was talking more to Benji, about everything, but somehow our conversations ended up at stars. In those conversations I understood what was happening and everything was slowed down again.

But before I could think school was starting again. I was standing in front of the entrance and feeling worse than ever. Everyone was running to their friends, hugging, laughing, joking. I knew no one was gonna come over and talk to me, I knew that no one knew I existed. I was okay with that, but at this moment I really wished someone would slow down time.

"Aaron!" A voice said from behind me. I turned around, surprised, and there he was, Benji.